Working from home – tips for your mental health
Many of us have now been working from home for an extended period of time. After a period of adjusting, we wanted to share what has helped us to feel well and connected during this time.
A grounding morning routine
A morning routine that helps you to feel calm and collected before you start working can set a positive tone for the rest of the day. The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod suggests six activities that can transform the rest of your day for the better:
- meditation (or stillness)
- affirmations
- visualisation
- journaling
- reading
- exercise
Try doing any of the above for a couple of minutes and see the impact on the rest of your day. If you don’t have time in the morning, why not try some of these activities during the day when you get time?
Finding your rhythm
Figuring out a routine that works for you is invaluable. If something’s not working, don’t be afraid to change it. Some people are more productive in the morning, others in the afternoon. Try and structure your work around that, and consider using the first 30 minutes of work to plan what needs to be done that day.
Taking short breaks where you can throughout the day is a great way to keep your energy levels up and stress levels down. The golden rule is to try not to eat lunch at your desk or in sight of your screen, if possible.
Separating work from home
When working from home for a long period of time, work and home can naturally start to blur together a little bit. Trying to maintain a work-life balance is important, so once you’re done working for the day, we find that putting all work items away, out of sight helps us get back into ‘home’ mode.
Sleep is also very important to your health and wellbeing – if you give yourself enough time in the evenings ‘at’ home and ‘away’ from work, it can help avoid disrupting your sleep.
Walk it off
Some find that saving their daily exercise for after work helpful for switching off and changing focus for the day.
Walking is a great way to do this. Not only is it good for your mental health, it also allows you to maintain a routine, and can make your mind think you are going home ‘from’ work, creating a work-life gap that may help you. Be sure to keep at least two metres distance away from anyone who is not living in your household – as required by Welsh Government legislation – to protect us all from the spread of Coronavirus.
If you’re not able to get out for a walk, maybe take a step out into your garden or even try opening a window and taking in some fresh air.
Video calls
If you’re feeling isolated we’ve found that video calling can be a great way for staff and teams to catch up, run through tasks and have informal catch ups as well as for meetings.
Similarly, after work many colleagues have been keeping in touch with family and friends with video calls, which is helping us all feel connected with loved ones when we can’t see them in person.
Helping others
If work is very quiet for you right now, why not think about how you can help your family, colleagues, or neighbours? Could you check in (whilst keeping a safe distance) on anyone who is living alone, or even offer to do some shopping for them?
Asking for help
If work is very busy at the moment, could you ask someone who’s work is a bit quieter to help you? Could your partner sort the dinner or could a colleague help with a particular project?
